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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

DragonWitch [Review Tour]

A New Tale Is Added to this Christy Award-Winning Fantasy Saga!Submissive to her father’s will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves–Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country.But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta’s tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice…and for the one person who can wield it.

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, STARFLOWER and DRAGONWITCH. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.

Excerpt

Sneak
Peek for

Dragonwitch

By: Anne Elisabeth Stengl

A
sudden pounding at her door startled Leta to her feet. Did those fool soldiers
think she might hide her former teacher in her own chambers? Drawing herself to
her full height, she strode to the door and flung it wide, demanding as she did
so, "What cause have you to . . . oh."

A
child, brown and wide-eyed, crouched before her, hands wringing. Leta could
almost remember having seen this humble scrubber-boy before, hard at work in
various corners of the castle. She had never spoken to him. "Lights above
us!" she said, taking in the terror in that face. The boy looked as though
he had seen a ghost. "What is the matter?"

"Allees-tar,"
the boy said, his eyes pleading to be understood.

Leta
shook her head. "Say again?"

The
boy chewed his lip, his eyes darting up and down the corridor. Then he reached
out and took Leta's hand in both of his and spoke urgently.
"Allees-tar."

"Alistair?"

The
boy nodded.

A
coldness took hold of Leta at the mention of her betrothed's name. "What
about him?"

But
the boy did not notice her icy voice or stance. He repeated the name and tugged
at Leta, motioning and signing for her to follow. There was no understanding
the child. Leta shook her head, her teeth grinding. "He must be summoning
me. A first time for everything under the sun!"

She
grabbed her cloak, for it was far too cold to wander the castle corridors
without one. Best to get the encounter over with as soon as possible, she
decided. She followed the boy to Alistair's room. At the door, she pushed ahead
and entered first so as not to seem dragged like a dog. She must retain at
least some form of dignity.

Then
she saw the state in which her betrothed lay.

"Alistair!"
She hastened to his side, leaning over him on the bed. Her mouth gaped, and she
grabbed the one candle and held it closer for a better look. She saw the
boiling, smelled the poison.

One
side of her mind said: SCREAM!

It's as well you
aren't afraid of blood, her practical side responded.

RUN! roared the
panicking Leta.

Someone's got to
take care of this. And you want something to distract you. It might as well be
you.

SCREAM, dragons
eat you!

But,
as usual, practical Leta won the day.

She
turned to Mouse. There was only a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke.
"Fetch fresh water and some bandages." Then she shook her head.
"How silly of me. You don't understand, do you? Stay with him, and I'll
fetch them myself."

ReviewThis is the 5th book in the tales of Goldstone Wood series. I have only ever read the first book, Heartless, but when I saw this book, I was ON IT. I mean... just the title alone had me begging to read it. And I am glad I did. I mean.. some things were confusing since I did not read books 2-4, but it was still an amazing read. The beginning where the prophecy and such were being explained sort of threw me off a little- as did the multiple stories, but once I dove into the actual story and they were merged together, I really got into it and enjoyed it. I don't want to get into too many details- not even about the characters.- so I don't accidently reveal anything pertinent to the story.I can tell you that I loved each of the characters and their individual stories. Especially Eanrin. (: All the characters were adorable and believable (well, you know what I mean. As believable as a fantasy character can be.) ;)And, as with the first book in the series, I love the magical worlds the author creates. Everything is so original and the characters are so much fun to follow. I had to keep guessing about a few of them and it really kept me on my toes! [rating 3.9]

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